The Federal Government has again initiated an investigation into allegations of ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna rail route following numerous passenger complaints.

Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, announced the directive via a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.This is not the first time an investigation will be conducted to check the allegations of ticket racketeering.

He instructed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, to establish a committee tasked with investigating the allegations to resolve them.

In the statement, Minister Alkali acknowledged the concerns raised by passengers regarding difficulties in purchasing tickets for the Abuja-Kaduna rail service.

He emphasized that the committee’s primary objective would be to review the entire ticketing process, focusing on identifying areas of negligence or mismanagement and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.

Acting on the directive, the NRC has set up an investigative organ to investigate the allegations. Deputy Director, Public Relations of the Corporation, Yakub Mahmood, made the information available to journalists in a statement.

“Information has reached the Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on difficulties of passengers obtaining their tickets online resulting to ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) in recent times.

“To arrest the ugly situation, the management has set up a team headed by the Deputy Director (ICT) to investigate,” he said.
Mahmood said that in the meantime, the managing director has directed Mohammed Modibo Ibrahim to report and take over as the manager of the AKTS with immediate effect.

“We appeal to the general public, especially our esteemed passengers to bear with us. The situation will soon be brought under control,” he said.